Akwaabahttp://akwaaba.org.uk
Sunday social centre for migrants in Hackney LondonMon, 13 Aug 2018 06:11:10 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.8Apply to become an Akwaaba Steering Committee Memberhttp://akwaaba.org.uk/apply-to-become-an-akwaaba-steering-committee-member/
Mon, 13 Aug 2018 06:11:10 +0000http://akwaaba.org.uk/?p=1559Akwaaba’s day-to-day management and coordination is undertaken by a steering committee, which currently consists of four volunteers. The steering committee works with a board of trustees who (pending the outcome of our application for charitable status) are responsible for legal and financial oversight, and safeguarding the development of Akwaaba in line with our constitution.

The steering committee works with a team of project coordinators, who are responsible for managing project areas including Welcome, Children’s, English teaching and Storytelling projects. We are now recruiting to increase the size of the steering committee. If you are interested in applying, check out the role description and please email a one page letter outlining your motivation and experiences to akwaabalondon@gmail.com or ask one Steering Committee Member to have a chat (also through akwaabalondon@gmail.com or during a Sunday session). Closing date for applications is the 3/9/2018.Akwaaba_Steering Committee Member_Role Description

We are looking for FootballVolunteers to supervise the children playing in our 5-a-side cage from 3-6pm. The role basically involves sorting teams, refereeing and making sure everyone is playing in a positive and safe way. If you don’t have a DBS check, you’ll need to register for one. Understanding the rules of football is an optional extra.

]]>Children’s Workshop Facilitatorshttp://akwaaba.org.uk/childrens-workshop-facilitators/
Wed, 18 Jul 2018 18:07:08 +0000http://akwaaba.org.uk/?p=1505Could you help us run fun workshops for children and young people?

Do you have a skill, craft or passion that you would like to share on a one off or regular basis? We’re looking for children’s workshop facilitators to help us entertain and engage our young members. We see around 40 children age 3-16 each week and would welcome workshops aimed at any age group. All ideas are welcome – anything from dance to storytelling!

In the past, we’ve run ballet, boxercise, film-making, and screen printing workshops.

]]>Volunteer Fundraiserhttp://akwaaba.org.uk/volunteer-fundraiser/
Wed, 18 Jul 2018 17:57:53 +0000http://akwaaba.org.uk/?p=1502We are seeking volunteers with charity fundraising experience to help our core team get Akwaaba to a position of financial stability. Most of our funding comes from trusts and foundations, but we also raise money through community fundraising like sponsorships, crowdfunders and fundraising events.

What we need help with

Keeping our fundraising planner up to date

Planning our fundraising strategy so we know how much we need to apply for every year, and so we can avoid writing stressful applications at the last minute

Writing applications to trusts and foundations

Supporting other volunteers to write applications (e.g. by providing help with budgeting, access to documents etc)

At Akwaaba, we recently wrote some letters to MPs about the huge fees that children have to pay to register to become British citizens. It is over £1,000 which we think is very unfair!

We have invited Akwaaba’s local MP Diane Abbott to come and visit us to talk about this and other issues affecting migrant children in Hackney.

You can read our letters below and find out how to write to your MP on the issue here.

Dear Diane Abbott MP,

Akwaaba is a Sunday social centre for migrants in your constituency. We are writing to you about the huge fee of £1,012 that children have to pay to apply to register as British citizens. As you know, the fee is £1,012 even if a child has the absolute right in law to British citizenship. There are no fee waivers and no reductions.

This completely unfair situation affects many young members of Akwaaba. You can read what some children have written about the issue in the attached letters that they wrote to their own MPs.

In your recent speech you said that children who have been born in Britain or who came here when they were very young should not have to pay over a thousand pounds for the privilege of obtaining citizenship, simply because their parents were not born here. We agree. We were pleased to hear that a future Labour government would end this scandalous practice.

But change cannot come soon enough for our members and the many thousands of other children in this country who are blocked from accessing their rights. British citizenship gives children equal status, access to higher education and free healthcare and for some is the difference between safety and security and the threat of deportation to a country they have never been to or left as a toddler.

Please take whatever action you can to pressure the government to lower the fee urgently.

Thank you for your time.

Akwaaba (Sundays at Princess May Primary School, Hackney)

]]>Postcards for salehttp://akwaaba.org.uk/postcards-for-sale/
Sun, 24 Jun 2018 10:41:35 +0000http://akwaaba.org.uk/?p=1436Bernadette Dickson is an artist based in South London. She is currently raising money for Akwaaba through the sale of postcards of her artwork.

The postcards come in two packs of 7 for £6. All funds received will go to support Akwaaba.

Please email bern_1@tiscali.co.uk to place an order. There will be an
additional charge for postage and packaging.

If you would like to be considered please email akwaabalondon@gmail.com a supporting statement explaining why you would like to be considered, preferably with an up to date CV if available.

]]>Children Supervisorhttp://akwaaba.org.uk/children-supervisors/
Mon, 30 Apr 2018 21:22:08 +0000http://akwaaba.org.uk/?p=1269We’re looking for experienced volunteer youth/children’s workers to help us plan, manage and take responsibility for the children’s sessions at Akwaaba. Each week two children’s supervisors plan, manage and take responsibility for the children’s session.

Supervisors will need to co-supervise children’s sessions once a month and then help out as a children’s volunteer once a month too. Sessions take place on Sunday afternoons. The shift times for co-supervisors are 1-7pm, whilst children’s volunteers can volunteer between 1-5.30pm or 1.30-6.30pm.

We try to organise fun and engaging activities for around 40 children age 3-14 every Sunday, whilst also making sure that they remain supervised and safe. Most of our young members are living in severe poverty and some have had traumatic experiences. Many of the children we work with are therefore particularly vulnerable.

We’d really like to hear from you if you have experience (or interest in) working with children and young people at risk of exclusion and/or with psychological, emotional and behavioural difficulties.

Responsibilities of the role

The following responsibilities will be split equally between co-supervisors on any given week:

– Planning 6 activities for the session you co-supervise once a month (including preparing/sourcing materials and resources).
– Setting up and cleaning up the children’s space
– Managing 6-8 children’s volunteers during the session
– Ensuring that the session is running safely (e.g. maintaining order and dealing with disruptive situations)

Akwaaba is looking for a volunteer English and Literacy Coordinator to oversee, develop and expand our language teaching project.

In keeping with the rest of the project, our English classes aim to be safe, friendly and non-hierarchical spaces. Learning is collaborative and reciprocal and teaching opportunities emerge from the needs or ambitions of the group rather than following a prescribed curriculum.

We are seeking an English and Literacy coordinator who shares the values of the Akwaaba community. The right person should have a demonstrable commitment to migrants rights and the ability to work with all other Akwaaba members showing empathy, sensitivity and a commitment to inclusion. They should want to become part of our community and be prepared to commit to the role for a year or more.

Ideally, the coordinator will have some experience of working with vulnerable people from a wide range of backgrounds and some teaching experience. More details in the role description linked above. Send us you application by Sunday 25th March to akwaabalondon@gmail.com!

]]>Yoga Facilitatorshttp://akwaaba.org.uk/yoga-facilitators/
Thu, 08 Feb 2018 10:24:35 +0000http://akwaaba.org.uk/?p=935We are seeking experienced yoga teachers to help facilitate our weekly yoga sessions. Yoga happens from 2.30-3.15 at Akwaaba on a drop-in basis. We normally have between 1 and 5 participants of all abilities/experiences. Classes are informal and conducted according to Akwaaba’s principles of inclusion and solidarity.

Requirements:
– professional insurance
– experience of teaching yoga in community settings/for marginalised groups. If you do not have this experience, but have other non-yoga related experience working with marginalised or vulnerable groups, we will still be happy to hear from you
– experience of teaching yoga/working with people where English is a second language
– understanding of trauma and trauma-sensitive yoga (desirable)
– a commitment to tackling oppression and social injustice
– a minimum commitment of teaching one Sunday per month for at least 6 months